U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,665 describes an assembly device for a heat exchanger and tubular connector assembly in which the tubular connector opens out into the tank of the heat exchanger (e.g. radiator) and is fixed to the tank by an easily disconnected resilient connection. In this case, the tank and the tubular connector are held assembled together by means of at least one axially directed tab carried by the tubular connector, which tab is resiliently displaceable in a radial direction and is provided with a snap-fastening catch at its axially inner end. The snap-fastening catch comes axially into abutment against the axially outer end of a tubular guide lug carried by the tank and in which the tab is engaged, the catch having the shape of a fish hook in order to prevent the parts coming apart under the effect of the jolts in pressure inherent to the operation of a cooling circuit.
However, this design requires relatively large axial clearance in order to enable the catch to snap-fasten on the axially outer end of the tubular guide and abutment lug.
The object of the present invention is to avoid this drawback, i.e. to reduce the axial clearance required for assembly purposes to a minimum, while avoiding any danger of the catch releasing and facilitating disassembly.